Do these words send shivers down your spine – most of us have experienced it at one time or another whether as an employee or leader! Things at work are simply not flowing, obstacles abound and perhaps striking up the simplest of conversations hits barriers. Is it the outlook of the leader, the choices that drive the business, the people on the team, the way the company does business or any other reason? Could it even possibly be ourselves?
corporate misalignment … and you!
introduction
Do these words send shivers down your spine – most of us have experienced it at one time or another whether as an employee or leader! Things at work are simply not flowing, obstacles abound and perhaps striking up the simplest of conversations hits barriers. Is it the outlook of the leader, the choices that drive the business, the people on the team, the way the company does business or any other reason? Could it even possibly be ourselves?
In hindsight, I should have acted when an indisputable corporate misalignment became evident some years back. The CEO of the company had just completed 6 hours of the group meeting referring to a declining revenue trend, and with my presentation being the last of the day, I was rather excited about demonstrating tangible revenue increases with hugh potential for more. Imagine my delight when all attendees agreed that this technique should be applied across the board, and the subsequent shock when the CEO chose to vote against it, stating it did not appeal to what he was taught by his mother some 45 years ago, and in his humble opinion, should not be the mainstay of the operation. This decision was not only not reflecting today’s business priorities but was also in stark contrast to the need of the organization, yet was deemed the ‘correct response’.
My first lesson in corporate misalignment taught me so much – that I had a choice to use the existing corporate culture as my template or rely on that of my own.
I began the journey of measuring corporate environments against my own purpose. In years gone by, business was the backbone of society, revered for its contribution. With the banking institution in disarray, corporations claiming record profits at the expense of the customer and unethical practices everywhere you look, an intention of service and contribution is now sought, thereby rendering many corporate priorities redundant. It was time to believe in my own template.
Put yourself first at the very least for these questions:
What is it that I wish to achieve and how will it serve all?
How does this align to the purpose, intent and values of the current organization
What gap exists?
When the gap seems large, rather than ask ‘
What is it that I’m not doing well’,
perhaps a more relevant question may be
‘Where can I find a different organizational culture which would align and support my purpose’ which in turn could make the contribution so much stronger.
Declare your future through corporate alignment and watch the results flow!
